Improvement in the manufacture of bricks



PATENT JAOOE GEEENAWALT, OE Prrrs'BU'Ee, AND JAMES o. ANDEEsON, OE4ALLEeHENr,` PENNSYINANIA.l

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MNUFACTURE OF HBRICKS.

specification forming fart of Letters Patent No. 192.986, dated Jury 1o,1877; application finedA May 19, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that we, JACOB GREENAWALT, ofPittsburg, and J AMES C. ANDERSON, of Allegheny city, Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Manufacture of Brick,A whichimprovement is fully set forth in the following specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Our invention relates to the molding and forming of brick from clay,molded and formed when dry and in a powdered state; and it consists,mainly, in irst preparing the clay to be molded into a ne, dry, andhomogeneous powder, then subjecting the powder so prepared to heavypressure or concussion within metallic molds or dies so constructed thatwedge-shaped projections upon the dies penetrate and compress the claywithin the molds into a net-work of ribs or partitions, by which theclay is forced together and compressed equally atom upon atom into asolid, firm, and compact mass, by reason of which pressure, andthe'displacement ofthe clay into thin bodies, the clay is made to adheretogether in the form of a brick without the additionof moisture, and tomaintain and hold the form so molded until placed in the kiln andburned, thereby imparting solidity to the brick, and obviating theobjections heretofore experienced in the manufacture of brick from clay,when mixed with water in the paste state, the pores of the clay beingsaturated with water, and when so molded, the water being eliminated inthe drying-out and burning processes, leaves the brick porous andbrittle, or from clay molded direct from the clay-beds withoutbeingkneaded or mixed, although the pores in this state are also wellsaturated with water, owing to the large amount of water absorbed intoand held suspended within the pores of the clay throughout the moldingprocess, which, being freed in the drying-out or burning processes,leaves the brick also porous and brittle; and, by reason of theinterstratilied mineral washes and impurities in the clav, when moldedin the natural state,

which intervenes and prevents the clay from uniting in the burningprocess, renders the brick liable to shell or molder.

` In carrying out our invention steel molds or dies are constructed witha series of wedge shaped projections upon the matrixes of the same,corresponding with the openings B B in the brick. These projections inthe molding operation enter the clay within the molds cleft like, andserve to compress the clay outwardly toward the outer shell A of thebrick,

and forming the ribs a a and Openings B B, and by thus reducing the bodyof the clay Within the mold, and forcing the same into thin and solidribs, the clay will be made to adhere together and maintain the form ofa brick.

The openings B B may be made of cone-shape or of any other shapedesired, it being sufficient for the purpose of the invention that theybe made tapering for displacing and compressing the clay in an outwarddirection.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l shows a perspective view of abrick formed by our process. Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view, andFig. 3 a longitudinal sectional view, of the same. p

The clay to be molded into brick is Iirst thoroughly dried, then reducedto a tine powder, and placed in a revolving sieve for removing anycourse parts it may contain, and for thoroughly mixing the atoms ot' theclay into a homogeneous mass. The clay when so treated, and when dry,and in the powdered state, is passed into the metallic molds or diesabove described, and subjected to a very heavy pressure or concussion,by which the clay within 'the molds will be forced into bricks of thedesired form, which form will be retained by the brick after they are4removed from the molds, and throughout the burning process. The atoms ofthe clay arei thus brought into close contact, occupying the intersticesor pores formerly occupied by the water, imparting to the bricks aclose, firm, and solid body, and giving to them greatstrength,durability, and beauty of appearance. The openings B B alsoserve to lighten the brick, and to give a firm and secure hold forthemortar.

The brick being thus formed with a net-work FEI'OE.

ofstrengthening-ribs, and lof 'such solid and firm texture,greatstrength isimpartedrito the walls of a building, rendering it alsofree of 'moisture by absorption.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim,and.desire to secureby Letters Pat` ent, is-

1. The improved process herein described for pressing homogeneous dryclay-powder into bricks, consisting in :confining lit lin La mold ofbrick-form, and compressing it between thc inclined sides of twoopposing series of wedgcsand the, sides .of the molds, so

as fto evenly. and'thoroughly. compact 4the pow- .derfandiform ridgesandvdepressions in ithe upper and lower sides of the brick, substan-.tially .as set forth.

2. rEhe within-described brick, having the wedge-shaped openings .B 13,`.ribs da, and

